


all i want for christmas

by inkk



Category: All Time Low (Band), Bandom, Bring Me The Horizon, Pierce the Veil, Sleeping With Sirens
Genre: Alternate Universe - Office, Christmas, Cutesy, Declarations Of Love, Drinking, Drunken Confessions, Embarrassment, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Happy Ending, Light Angst, M/M, Miscommunication, Mutual Pining, New Years, Office Party, One Shot, Requited Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-18
Updated: 2018-03-18
Packaged: 2019-03-30 01:27:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13939590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inkk/pseuds/inkk
Summary: Vic gets drunk and reveals some unrequited feelings. Alternately, Kellin doesn’t know how to act around him in the wake of the office holiday party.





	all i want for christmas

**Author's Note:**

  * For [anatomyofacynic](https://archiveofourown.org/users/anatomyofacynic/gifts).



> hey everyone!  
> first off, i purposely made Kellin's job very vague cause it's not that important to the plot and i didn't want to have too many inaccuracies.  
> also in light of recent events & for the purpose of this story, we're just going to pretend mike doesn't exist.  
> that said, enjoy!

+

 

For a solid minute, on the morning of December twenty-first, Kellin feels wonderful. The clock on his bedside table says 6:30 and the room is cool around him, but he’s wonderfully warm inside his cocoon of blankets.

Then, reality sets in.

_”Oh, fuck.”_

 

+

 

“Hi,” Kellin mumbles over the rim of his coffee mug, trying in vain to hide the slight flush of his cheeks.

“Hey,” Vic nods as he moves to grab the pot, brushing past Kellin and making brief contact with his arm. “Crazy party last night, huh?”

His friendly grin takes Kellin by surprise and he nods dumbly back - “Yeah, it was pretty... Yeah.” What he doesn’t say is, _”How much of that do you actually remember?”_

“I guess I went pretty crazy. Had a hell of a hangover when I woke up this morning,” Vic continues with a little laugh, pouring his coffee. “It’s still at the back of my head. Did you see—?”

Just as Kellin is looking for an escape route, he kitchen door opens and Jaime walks in, cutting off Vic’s sentence. He makes a beeline for the plate of cookies Erin baked for the office. “Hey guys!”

Vic consults his watch “You’re way too chipper for ten-fifteen AM, dude.”

Jaime shrugs and stuffs a cookie in his mouth. “Some of us aren’t lightweights,” he teases cheerfully. “Did you guys see Alex passed out underneath his desk last night?”

“That was hilarious,” Vic chuckles. “He’s never going to live that down.”

“Speaking of hilarious,” Jaime raises an eyebrow, looking between the two of them, “Some of us were saying some things—“

Behind Vic, Kellin’s eyes widen and he shakes his head, cutting a hand across his throat in the universal sign for _stop making those sounds with your mouth! what are you doing!_

Fortunately, Jaime gets the signal and tactfully switches tracks. “Uh, you know. Uh. Jack, always blabbing on about his and Alex’s kinky sex life.”

“That’s nothing new,” Vic snorts. He takes a sip of coffee, checks his watch and says, “Well, I better get back to work. Supporting the capitalist machine and all that.” He nods to the two of them as he exits the small kitchen space.

Jaime looks around to check that they’re alone, then steps closer to Kellin. “Does he not remember the whole “confessing my love to you” bit?”

Kellin blushes harder. “No?” he hisses, looking around. “I don’t know. He’s acting the same as usual.”

“I was there,” Jaime raises an eyebrow. “Nothing about that declaration of desire was normal.”

“He was super drunk,” Kellin frowns, “It was definitely just a Christmas party thing.” At Jaime’s disbelieving look, he defensively adds, “What? It’s totally a _thing_ , okay! People get lonely around Christmas. And after Danielle, I don’t think...”

“Come on,” Jaime rolls his eyes. “That was, what, nine months ago? And it was mutual. Plus, they’re still friends. I don’t think he’s still heartbroken over her. I don’t know if he ever was.”

Kellin tries not to splutter. “I don’t want to be a rebound—“

“Nine. Months.” Jaime says pointedly. “Friends.” He takes another bite of cookie. “You’ve had a crush on him since you started working here. Think about it.”

He leaves the kitchen and Kellin stares at the coffee pot for a long, exasperated minute before following suit.

Kellin returns to his desk beside Tony and wiggles his mouse and wakes up his computer with a sigh, staring at the expenses spreadsheet he was working on. He proceeds to put in his headphones, zones out, and ends up punching in numbers and calculations until lunchtime.

At 12:15, someone taps Kellin on the shoulder. he pulls out his headphones and turns his chair around to see Vic smiling.

“Wanna eat lunch together?”

“Oh,” Kellin says, taken aback. He and Vic occasionally sit together to eat, but they haven’t in a while. “Uh, I was actually going to work through lunch hour. I’m really behind on this finance stuff,” he says, in what he hopes is an apologetic-enough tone.

Vic doesn’t seem too bothered, but he tones his smile down a little. “Yeah, man, of course. Don’t worry about it. Offer stands anytime.” He steps back. “See you later.”

Kellin nods and waves, turning back to his work. It wasn’t _totally_ a lie that he has work to do, but it’s also true that he could have taken his lunch break and done it later. The reports aren’t due until Monday morning, anyways. He tells himself that it’s because he’s a good worker, but in reality, he’s just been avoiding Vic after the party last night.

 

+

 

**13 hours earlier**

Kellin is just checking his watch and getting ready to call a cab home from the office holiday party when Vic makes his way through the crowd, seeking him out with single-minded determination.

”Kellin, I have— I have something to tell you,” Vic slurs, lurching sideways.

Kellin laughs, reaching out to steady him. “How much have you had to drink?”

“Enough,” Vic sniffs. “I don’t... I don’t remember what I was—“ He starts to giggle. “Oh yeah! I had to tell you. I had to tell you...” he suddenly goes serious. “I-- I want to have your babies.”

Kellin pauses for a long moment, then shakes his head in confusion. “I’m sorry, what?”

Vic stares him in the eye. “I want them. Your babies. And... And sex. Lots of sex. Hot, messy sex.”

“V-Vic—” Kellin stammers, blood rushing to his face. Somewhere behind him, Jaime is cracking up in the background. “Vic, I think you’ve had too much to drink, I really don’t think—“

“You’re so hot, Kellin,” Vic continues on full-blast. Kellin feels like he’s caught in the lights of a steam train barreling towards him. “So hot. So fucking hot. I want to do so many dirty, dirty things with you.” At this point, Jaime is completely losing his mind. “Kellin... I’m so stupid. We’ve— We’ve been friends forever and I’ve liked you for a really long time and I wasn’t going to tell you but it’s so... so important. And now,” Vic spreads his arms towards the ceiling, “It’s Christmas, and I’m single, and I _like_ you. Lots! I really fucking like you.”

People are staring, and Kellin swallows thickly. “Vic, you should go home. You shouldn’t—”

“Shhhh,” Vic whispers. He sways and his eyes flicker shut for a second. “I’m... I’m going to... go lie down.”

“Okay,” Kellin says awkwardly, eyeing his jacket. Vic turns to wander away and he turns and asks, “Jaime, can you please make sure he gets home safe?”

With that, he red-facedly walks out of the room at top speed and makes a hasty retreat from the party - and more importantly, the situation.

 

+

 

Tony taps him on the shoulder at around 2:30 and Kellin removes his headphones.

“Sorry, say that again?”

“Oh, just asking what you’re working on.”

“Budget stuff,” Kellin rolls his eyes. “I need a break.”

“I mean, you skipped lunch. Although I’d venture a guess that was mostly just to avoid Vic.”

“What? No,” Kellin scoffs, looking around. Vic and Justin are out of the office on a meeting with a client, so he deems it safe to talk, however he lowers his voice. “Did you hear...?”

“Yeah,” Tony laughs softly, “The whole office knows, dude.”

Kellin buries his face in his hands. “Oh. My. God. I’m so humiliated.”

“You’re not the one who should be embarrassed,” Tony raises his eyebrows.

Kellin just shakes his head. “I can’t believe this is happening.”

“Honestly? Me neither,” comes a British accent from behind him.

“Fuck off, Sykes,” Kellin playfully narrows his eyes, twisting around to find Oli leaning on the back of his chair. “You and Josh weren’t even at the party.”

“We had better, sexier things to do,” Oli replies poshly. “And besides, I have my sources.”

Tony says, “ _Sources_. Sure. Anyways, Kellin, what did he say to you this morning?”

“Nothing,” Kellin says, his tone bemused. “I... don’t think he remembers.”

Oli snorts. “Yeah, I’ve used that tactic before.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Kellin asks with suspicion.

“I mean, come on. He’s clearly pretending he was blackout so that it won’t be as awkward between you two,” Oli replies.

“No way.” Kellin falters. “I mean... He was drunk. Like, _really_ drunk. I don’t think...” His mind wanders - could Vic just be pretending not to remember?

“M’kay then,” Oli hums, tilting his head like he’s just made an obvious point. He saunters away, over to the copier machine.

Tony laughs. “He has a point,” he shrugs.

“How is this my life?” Kellin groans. “I can’t... Ugh. I’ve had a crush on him since forever and now he decides to literally tell me he wants my babies?”

“If he truly doesn’t remember, he’s going to find out soon enough, judging by all the gossip flying around the office,” Tony responds with a good-humoured shrug. “Now’s the time to make your move, bro. It’s Christmas, which means he’s lonely and defenceless.”

Kellin shoots him a doubtful look. “Yeah, right. Me. With all my winsome, seductive charm.”

From the desk a couple feet away, Alex shifts to peer around his computer at their conversation. “You guys know I can hear everything you‘re saying, right? And if I might add, you need to get over your crippling self-esteem issues.”

“Easy for you to say,” Kellin says, gesturing to Jack. “You’re literally dating your highschool sweetheart.”

“I meant, you have a lot to offer,” Alex defends his point. “Looks,” he starts counting on one hand, “in touch with your feelings,” he holds up a second finger, “romantic,” a third, “and last but not least, you’re not looking for a rebound fuck because you haven’t been in a relationship for two years. I mean, you’re basically celibate, from what any of us can tell.”

From the desk facing Alex’s, Jack starts cackling.

“Are you encouraging me or making fun of me?” Kellin sighs.

“It’s true,” Tony chimes in. “I mean, when’s the last time you went to a bar or a club? That totally used to be your scene.”

Kellin shrugs exasperatedly. “Okay, so I haven’t picked anyone up in a while. Sue me. I’m looking for a meaningful relationship, not some shitty, sixty year-old dominant who wants to hit me on the ass with a whip in his sex dungeon.” Alex, Tony and Jack just look at him. “What? Like that’s never happened to you?”

At their silence, he flounders. “I _mean_ , clubbing isn’t my style anymore. I’m twenty-seven. I just want someone to... to watch movies and cook with. And maybe have a couple dogs, or a kid or something. I dunno.”

Jack laughs. “You just described Vic in a nutshell. He wants your babies, remember?”

Kellin groans. “Stop, I don’t deserve this.”

“Okay, but for real,” Alex points an accusing index finger at him. “Tonight. You, me, Jack. Uh, anyone else we can rope into coming. We’ll go out for drinks and you can find someone.” He turns his attention to Tony, who holds up his hands.

“No way, count me out. Erin and I are going shopping. And besides, I don’t want to have to witness the hot mess that is Kellin’s flirting.”

Kellin frowns, making an indignant noise. He’s about to reply when the office door opens and Vic and Justin walk in, carrying their suit jackets. He’s about to put his headphones back in and pretend like he never took notice of them when Tony calls, “How did it go with the Wentz firm?”

“We got the deal!” Vic whoops jubilantly, coming over to stand beside them. Behind him, Justin punches the air. “We were on fire in there!”

Tony gives Kellin a pointed _’say something’_ look, so Kellin smiles obligingly and says, “Congrats, guys. That’s great.”

Vic’s eyes are alight as he grins back. “Drinks tonight? Anyone in?”

“I don’t--,” Kellin starts to say, just as Alex cuts in with a loud “Sure!”

“I have decorating to do,” Oli says, walking over from his office with a file folder in hand. “But be careful out there. You better not get as drunk as I hear you did last night.”

“Trust me, I won’t,” Vic says. His laugh comes out sounding the tiniest bit forced. “Kellin, you in? Jack? Tony? Zack and Rian?”

“Not me,” Tony shakes his head. “Doing some last-minute Christmas shopping with my girl.”

Jack flips a thumbs-up. “This haf of the loser posse is in,” he gestures to himself and Alex. “Zack and Rian left to go camping this morning.”

Everyone turns to look at Kellin, who blushes. “Yeah, I’ll come,” he says, trying not to let his reluctance show through. Vic and Justin have been trying to seal the Wentz firm deal for a good year, and it’s a pretty momentous occasion. He’d be a dick to blow it off just because of one awkward interaction.

After all, what could go wrong?

 

+

 

The first indication that this night might not go smoothly is that out of all the people going, Vic personally takes it upon himself to pick Kellin up for seven. This in itself isn’t that unusual - they are friends, after all, but they’ve never really been _best_ friends and Kellin is much closer with Tony and Jaime. However, the situation is infinitely more complex than that at the moment, and by the time Kellin slides into the passenger seat of the little blue truck, he’d really rather be somewhere else. (Preferably, somewhere with a lot less tension.)

“Hey,” Vic greets him, flashing bright white teeth in the same, friendly smile as always.

“Hey,” Kellin nods back. “Congrats on the Wentz deal, by the way,” he says softly as Vic shifts into drive and they pull away from the curb.

“Oh, yeah! Damn, that feels good. We’ve been courting them for, like, a whole year.” Vic’s fingers tap restlessly on the steering wheel. “You look great tonight, by the way. Are you wearing eyeliner?”

Kellin can feel a profuse blush coming on. “Maybe,” he replies. “Tony and Alex have been bugging me today, saying I need to go pick someone up tonight,” he says carefully, testing the waters. “They’re trying to, like, set me up or something.”

A muscle jumps in Vic’s jaw, so quick Kellin almost misses it, and then the smile is back. “Yeah? Getting back on the horse?”

“I dunno,” Kellin shrugs blushing harder. “I haven’t had sex in, like, two years, much less with a stranger.”

At some point, Vic’s fingers have stopped jittering, and now the car is still when Vic says, “Well, uh. That’s a long time. But hey, I haven’t been with anyone in the biblical sense since Danielle, either, so.”

“How is she doing lately?” Kellin asks, then immediately regrets it. Everyone knows it’s impolite to ask about other peoples’ exes.

“Oh, she’s great! She’s with some other guy now. They live together. I think they’re getting engaged soon, actually,” Vic grins, one eyebrow raised. “I’m happy for them,” he continues sincerely. “Really, I am. I think she deserves someone to love like that.”

“That’s nice,” Kellin says, and then he shuts up. He listens to Vic talk about the details of the meeting today, humming and nodding occasionally.

He doesn’t know how to act around Vic. He’s always kind of had a crush on the guy, but now that all of those feelings are in the open, it just feels awkward and forced. Kellin is glad when they finally arrive and park. He’s out in a flash and then they’re inside the bar - some new, upscale place called _Ampersands_ \- with the crew from work.

It’s moderately busy for a Friday night, and there’s a girl playing a huge grand piano in the far corner. Vic peels off to the bar to get a drink, and Kellin slides into the booth beside Justin.

“Hey,” Jack nods. “Glad you could join us.”

“We’ve been scoping out all the hot dudes for you,” Alex winks suggestively.

Kellin rolls his eyes and turns to Justin. “Congrats on the deal today, man,” he says by way of greeting, “Vic told me all about your kickass proposal presentation.”

“Well,” Justin chuckles, “He did most of the negotiating. We make a good team.” He lowers his voice a bit and leans in - “By the way, have you said anything to him about…?”

Kellin shrugs helplessly. “God, no. I mean, I will, I just—”

“Hottie!” Jack announces, “Twelve o’clock!”

Kellin turns to look, assessing the tall man in a black suit with moderate stubble and an earring. He’s attractive, but...

“Fuckboy hair,” he quickly delivers his judgement. “He probably thinks he’s better in bed than he really is.”

Justin nods in agreement and Alex laughs. At that moment, Vic comes back to the table, sliding in across from Kellin and passing him a drink.

“Rum and coke,” he says. Alex covertly shoots Kellin a look. “Hey, is Jaime coming tonight?”

“No,” Justin shakes his head. “He and Jessica are having a night in.”

Vic takes a sip of his drink. “At least one of us is getting some,” he sighs.

“Speaking of,” Jack says suggestively, “Kellin, check that guy out.” He points out another guy; tall, brawny man with a wild beard and sleeves of tattoos visible on both forearms.

Vic looks over sharply, then raises his glass to his lips again, not making eye contact. “He looks like a pretty macho guy. If you’re into that.”

Kellin bites the inside of his cheek. “Not really my type,” he says casually.

“So what _is_ your type, anyways?” Justin inquires, tipping his head to the side. “We’ve been trying to set you up for, like, a year, and according to you, there’s always something wrong with the guy.”

“Well… I don’t know,” Kellin blushes as everyone looks at him. “I mean, I don’t have a lot of specific requirements. I just want someone who is… decent. And funny. And loyal.” He shrugs. “Long-term is what I’m looking for. A lot of people aren’t really committed to that. And it’s a bonus if he’s under six feet,” he adds. “I’m not usually into guys who are a lot taller than me, for some reason. I don’t like to feel... fragile.” He shrugs again, looks down at the table and takes a swallow of his drink.

“I’m gonna,” Vic says, “Uh. Bathroom. Be right back.” He gets up from the table and heads to the restroom.

“Wow,” Alex says archly after a moment of silence, raising one accusing eyebrow. “Wonder what that could have been about. Hmm.”

If possible, Kellin flushes even more. “You guys-- He’s been acting… Well. D’you guys really think he might be into me?” he says softly.

“Yes,” Justin says emphatically. “Dude, that was a clear indication. And I’m his business partner, so I know this shit. He never fucking shuts up about you. And in case you didn’t notice, you just waxed poetic about someone who is exactly like Vic, directly in front of him. You’re driving the poor dude crazy.”

“Jesus, you two need to get together already,” Jack joins in exasperatedly. “You’ve been pining after him for _ever_.”

“He was with Danielle before,” Kellin defends himself. “I’m not sure--” The other guys all groan.

“Oh, shut up already,” Justin rolls his eyes. “I told myself I wasn’t going to get involved in the office gossip, but. _He remembers_. Okay? He told me while we were out today. Vic remembers everything he said at the party.”

There’s a pause, then Jack and Alex start laughing anew. 

Kellin is taken aback. “Sorry, what? He..? You mean--… But… he never said anything,” he says helplessly. “He never…”

“He’s embarrassed,” Justin replies, speaking like he’s talking to a five year-old. “He got drunk, he made a fool of himself, you didn’t say anything back and now he’s trying to put it all behind him by pretending it never happened.”

“Oh, no,” Kellin says faintly.

 

+

 

At around one AM, after everyone makes their excuses and leaves, Vic and Kellin are alone at the bar. The girl playing guitar has long since gone, most of everyone else have departed for elsewhere, and the joint is quiet. Kellin is tipsy and happy, but not as drunk as he would normally get on a Friday night with coworkers. He doesn’t trust himself to be around Vic when he’s smashed.

In contrast, Vic is barely drinking since he’s their ride home tonight. “So, you wanna head out?” he eventually asks.

“Yeah,” Kellin smiles. “I’m gonna be so tired tomorrow.”

Vic stands up and grabs his coat. Kellin does the same. The room tilts a little bit, but he hardly sways as he stuffs his arms into the sleeves of his jacket, only reaching out to hold the table for balance once.

“You good?” Vic asks, ever the mother hen. “Got your wallet and your phone?”

Kellin pats himself down and nods. They make their way out of the place, and as Vic is holding the door open, something strange happens.

Vic puts his hand on the small of Kellin’s back to guide him out.

He removes the hand just as quick as it came, but Kellin knows what he felt. It’s like the past nine months since Danielle flash before his eyes; suddenly, the awkward laughs, pointed remarks and opportune bathroom escape all make sense in his inebriated head.

He turns to look at Vic out of the corner of his eye. He’s got the hint of a smile on his face from a night gone well. Kellin watches him take his lanyard of keys out of his jacket pocket and jog ahead to unlock the truck, where Kellin clambers into the passenger side. His heart is beating steady in his chest as Vic twists the ignition and pulls his sleeves over his hands, shivering as he waits for the truck to warm up.

“I had a good time tonight,” Kellin says, filling the silence. “Thanks for buying me drinks.”

“Hey,” Vic shrugs with an easy grin, “That’s what friends are for. You can return the favour sometime.”

“Vic,” Kellin says, then stops himself. He rubs a hand over his face. _Now is not the time._

“Kellin,” Vic responds, laughing a little.

Kellin shakes his head. “Nevermind.”

 

+

 

The next two days of the weekend fly by. Monday the twenty-fourth is a work day, so Kellin gets out of bed at 6:30, makes a thermos of tea and packs a protein bar to the office for breakfast.

“Hey,” he greets Tony and Jaime in the break room before work, grabbing his favourite mug - the yellow one with the bumblebees on the side - down from the cabinet.

“How was the bar on Friday?” Tony asks.

“Oh, fine. It was fun,” Kellin replies.

Jaime hides his face in his coffee mug when he mutters, “Sure.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Kellin frowns.

“Why don’t you go ask Vic? He the one who called me at five AM on Saturday ‘cause he thinks you’re spurning his affections.”

Kellin’s mouth drops open a bit. “Wait, what? I didn’t--... I thought last night went really great. I felt like I made some progress. What did he say to you?”

“Why don’t you ask him yourself?” Tony mumbles, looking over Kellin’s shoulder. The kitchenette room door opens and Vic walks in.

.“Hey,” he says softly, glancing at them and grabbing the coffee pot to fill the mug he’s carrying. He’s wearing his usual friendly smile, but to a lesser degree than usual.

“Well, I’m going to go start working,” Jaime announces, covertly poking Tony, who says, “Me too.” The two of them hurriedly exit the room.

Kellin watches Vic as he pours his coffee. “So, uh. How are you?” he asks once the silence gets to be too much.

“I’m okay,” Vic says, looking up with a carefully absent expression. “You? How did that budget stuff you were working on go over?”

“Oh, yeah. It’s, um, it’s good. I… Yeah.”

Vic stands there and looks at him for a brief second, then his eyes flick away. “Okay,” he says. “Well, I have work to do.”

He’s about to leave when Kellin says, “Wait. Vic, wait.” His face flushes when Vic stops and looks back. “You, uh. You know that I like you, right?”

“I’m sorry--?”

Kellin looks away, lifting one hand to scratch at his neck. His dress shirt collar feels tight and uncomfortable, and he swallows. “I mean, we’re good friends, and I like you.”

“Oh,” Vic says, his voice holding a hint of what sounds like disappointment. “Well, okay. Thanks.” He flashes a quiet smile and leaves the room. The second he’s out of earshot, Kellin sighs deeply and groans.

Well, that did not go as planned.

_Why, God, why does this have to be so hard?_

Kellin sheepishly walks back to his desk with his mug and logs into his computer. Vic’s desk is across the room, far enough away that he can’t hear Kellin and Tony talking but perfectly in Kellin’s range of vision.

Kellin keeps his eyes on his screen. He’s afraid that if he looks up they’ll make eye contact.

“Got any plans for Christmas Eve tonight?” Tony asks a couple hours later.

“Nah,” Kellin shakes his head.

“‘Cause you know, Jaime and Jessica are hosting that get-together you turned down last week.” Meaningfully, he adds, “Vic is going be there.”

“Oh, no. I’m not going to show up and cause drama, thereby ruining the party just because I’m romantically stunted.”

“So I venture a guess that you didn’t tell Vic this morning in the break room,” Tony says expectantly.

Kellin’s eyes dart over to where Vic is sitting at his desk, writing something down. “Okay, here’s the deal,” he says, tone low as he looks back to Tony. “I _did_ tell him. I said “I like you”, and he said “okay, thanks”. He literally said that! I don’t know what else I’m supposed to do!” He waves a hand theatrically.

“What did you say in specific?” Tony presses.

“I don’t know, something along the lines of “you’re a really good friend and I like you”. I thought that was clear enough?”

Tony groans softly. “Kellin, _no_ ,” he shakes his head. “You just accidentally friendzoned him!”

Kellin stares for a minute, replaying his and Vic’s earlier conversation as it slowly dawns on him.

“Oh. Oh, no.”

 

+

 

Kellin catches a ride to Jaime and Jessica’s with Oli that night. It’s a short ride over to the condo building, so they keep the conversation to smalltalk, except when they’re disembarking from the car, Oli says “You better talk to him tonight” with a meaningful look.

Kellin sighs as they walk up to the doors. “Okay, okay, I get it. Fine.”

“I mean it, Quinn. He’s been moping all day. It’s just not right to break someone’s heart on Christmas Eve,” Oli continues as they enter the building. They’re buzzed up without difficulty by an enthusiastic Jess.

Kellin presses the button for the elevator and says, “D’you actually think we’d be a good couple?”

“Yeah,” Oli replies, as if the answer is obvious. “Mate, you two are meant for each other. You’re both romantic, looking for a long-term commitment, and you’re both short.”

“Asshole,” Kellin mutters, jokingly cross. “You and Josh are just giants.”

The elevator dings and they step in, Oli pushing the button for the third floor. They don’t talk until they’re right outside the apartment door.

“Ready?” Oli asks.

“Ready.”

They let themselves in and are greeted by Jaime, who bro-hugs them both. “Hey, how are you guys? Drinks are right beside you on the counter, snacks are floating around. Merry Christmas!”

“Thanks, man,” Kellin grins, slipping off his shoes and pushing them to the side. Jaime bounds away to talk with Erin, and Kellin is left alone as Oli slips away.

“Kellin!” Alex calls. “C’mere!”

Kellin looks over to the far corner, where Alex and Jack are standing. As he makes his way over, he notes with slight apprehension that Vic is also with them.

“Hey, guys,” he grins. Alex and Jack greet him enthusiastically back, but Vic responds with a lukewarm “hi”.

Well, that’s fair.

“How are you guys?” Kellin asks, just to fill the air.

“Peachy,” Jack nods. “We were just talking about you, actually.” Beside him, Vic lowers his gaze and takes a drink, looking like he’d really rather be somewhere else.

Kellin laughs. “Good things?”

“Things along the lines of how you need to start putting yourself back out there,” Alex cocks his head.

“I have a cousin a couple times removed that you could totally get with,” Jack says casually. “His english is pretty good.”

“Abdel?” Alex says pensively, “The weird one with the glasses? Yeah, I guess. He’s okay.”

“I’ll give you his number,” Jack offers, pulling out his phone.

“I’m going to… Bathroom,” Kellin heads Vic say to no one in particular as he turns and leaves.

Alex raises an eyebrow. “ _Dude_. He is so not subtle. It took, like, a solid one minute of discussing your love life to get a reaction.”

Kellin bites the inside of his cheek and excuses himself after a minute to follow Vic - Jack and Alex give him annoyingly knowing looks, but leave him to move off to talk with Tony nonetheless.

Kellin makes his way to the bathroom and knocks on the door - “Hey, Vic? Can I come in?”

There’s a pause. “Yeah, I’m done.”

The door opens and Vic makes as if to step out and make room for him, but Kellin says, “Actually, can we… talk? Just for a sec?”

He registers a flash of discomfort in Vic’s eyes, then Vic nods and steps back into the bathroom, Kellin doing the same and closing the door behind them.

“So, uh.”

“Look,” Vic starts, “I didn’t mean for things to happen at the Christmas party, and I’m sorry that—“

“Vic, it’s okay. That’s kind of what I wanted to talk about.”

Vic fidgets and asks, “Can we not do this right now? I mean, it’s Christmas Eve. Don’t you have something better to do than hash out my drunk mistakes?”

“It was… a mistake?”

“Obviously,” Vic looks down at the floor. “I didn’t mean to embarrass you, or- or make things awkward. I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to be sorry,” Kellin shakes his head. “I’ve been meaning to, um. To talk to you about it.”

“Okay, I get it. You’re not interested. You don’t have to…” Vic waves a hand, “Just-- Just stop it. I get it. Just leave me alone to lick my wounds.”

“No, that’s not--”

“I need to leave, I… I can’t be here right now. I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable in any way.” He makes to leave the room, and Kellin steps in his way, reaching one hand out in the air between them before he can go.

“Wait. Please, I--”

“Kellin, I understand. It’s okay. I’m fine.” Vic’s eyes look a little bit deadened as he cuts Kellin off.

“But you didn’t--” Kellin tries to say.

“I don’t--”

Kellin shuts his eyes and practically yells, “I’m trying to say that I _like you_ , Vic!”

When he opens them, Vic is staring at him. “But… What?”

“I like you. There, I said it.”

“No, but-- but you said as friends. You said that we’re great friends.” Vic continues, processing the information.

“Because I meant that I wanted to be more than friends!” Kellin says helplessly. “I didn’t know for sure if you liked me back and I didn’t want to lose our friendship but I meant that I liked you and then you just—“

He’s starting to get worked up, he knows, and he’s grateful when Vic reaches out to grab him by the shoulders and says, “I told you that I wanted to have your babies, Kellin. Jesus, of course I like you.”

Kellin looks into his eyes and starts laughing, his shoulders shaking. “Oh, my god. I’m so dumb.”

“You are,” Vic agrees. “Oh, my god. I can’t believe this is happening.”

“I mean, I’ve liked you since forever, but then you were with Danielle, and…” Kellin bites his lip. “I’m so sorry. God, it never occurred to me that-- that you would like me back, and then the party, and I thought you were just so drunk--”

“Kellin,” Vic interrupts his rambling with a little laugh, “It’s okay. We’re okay now.”

Kellin takes a deep breath. “Yeah… Yeah, we’re okay.” He looks at Vic and can’t help but to smile, his cheeks hot and his palms sweaty. “Oh, wow.”

“Wow,” Vic replies.

“We should get back out there,” Kellin says after an awkward, nervous pause.

“Yeah, okay,” Vic says, sounding uncharacteristically shy, “Let’s… yeah. We can, uh, talk about this later.” 

Kellin exhales and turns to open the door, stepping out of the bathroom. When the two of them return to the living room, everybody turns to look at them with knowing looks, then they all go back to making conversation.

“I’m going to grab a drink,” Vic says quietly, touching Kellin’s back before slipping off to the kitchen.

The second he’s gone, Jack is right there. “So?” he pesters.

Kellin shrugs. “We worked through it,” he says sheepishly, still red in the face.

“Damn right,” Jaime says, approaching for a high-five. Reluctantly, Kellin relents - Jess shoots him a grin and a raised eyebrow from across the room. “It’s about fucking time, dude!”

“We heard you yelling,” Erin tells him, turning from where she’s seated on the couch. “It was pretty romantic.”

Kellin groans, “Okay, alright, everyone leave us alone.” He can see Oli smirking from the far corner, and Kellin subtly flips him the bird.

 

+

 

Life continues as usual after the Christmas party, and before Kellin knows it, New Years is rolling around and he and Vic still haven’t talked about what happened.

It’s not for lack of trying; they’re both just incredibly busy, Kellin with year-end finances and Vic with the new deal taking up his every waking hour. They’ve met in the elevator after work or the break room, but nothing has proceeded further than smalltalk.

“This is getting ridiculous,” Oli tells him as they’re waiting by the printer in the small supplies room. “Seriously, you need to make a move. It’s a romantic stalemate and it’s fucking up the vibes around the office.”

Kellin makes a face. “I want to, it’s just we’re so busy right now, y’know?” Oli gives him a doubtful look. “He has the new deal and I’m working on budget stuff all the time. It’s kinda hard to make plans,” he justifies.

“New Year’s Eve, then,” Oli says simply as the printer starts churning out his papers. “I know Vic doesn’t have any plans, and I highly doubt you do, either. Plus, it’s super romantic.”

Kellin flushes the same colour as the pink paper on the shelf to his left. “I don’t know if we’re… _there_ yet.”

“Oh, for fuck’s sakes,” Oli rolls his eyes, “You’ve had a little schoolgirl crush on him since you first got here! It’s been years. Make a move, already.” He grabs his still-warm papers from the tray and swats Kellin over the head with the stack, then strides out of the room.

Kellin watches idly as the printer spits out his November reports. _New Year’s, huh?_

 

+

 

_K: do you have New Year’s plans??_

_V: shit, i guess i don’t yet. huh. you?_

_K: that was supposed to be my subtle way of inviting you over. i think it flopped._

_V: well, in that case, i’d be honoured. what time? i’ll bring booze ;-)_

_K: did you just “winky face” me?_

_V: maybe ;-)_

_K: i can’t believe i like you_  
_K: anyways, come over for 8 or so? we can eat snacks and watch netflix up until i feel socially obligated to observe the countdown show ___

_V: wouldn’t miss it for the world_

 

+

 

Vic shows up at 8:16 on New Year’s Eve with a bottle of whiskey and an apologetic smile. “Sorry I’m late,” he grins, “The liquor store was super busy.” 

“Who would have guessed?” Kellin teases him, ushering him in with a smile. “How was your day?” 

Vic toes off his shoes and shrugs out of his jacket, which Kellin takes and hangs on one of the hooks beside the door. “It was good,” he replies. “Stump - one of the new clients - is really kicking my ass about timelines and pricing, but I’ll be able to talk him down to a reasonable amount. This deal is so good for us that I don’t even care.” He laughs. “Anyways, that’s the boring stuff out of the way. Want a drink?” 

 

+

 

They spend a couple hours watching stupid movies together, getting progressively closer on the couch until Kellin is leaning on Vic’s shoulder, sharing a blanket with their legs resting against each other on the coffee table. 

They switch over to the New Year’s countdown show at 11:55. Some band is playing onstage, and there’s a little box in the corner that reads the minutes until the next year rolls in. 

“I have champagne,” Kellin remembers, turning to Vic. “It’s the relatively crappy kind, but I feel like we should drink it anyways.” 

Vic grins. “That sounds fantastic.” 

Kellin gets up to fetch it and some glasses from the kitchen. Being a twenty seven-year old bachelor living on his own, he doesn’t own champagne glasses, so he decides regular cups will have to do. 

The countdown on the screen reads _3:38…3:37…3:36…_ when he returns to the couch. “You wanna do the honours?” he asks Vic, holding out the bottle. 

Vic taken the bottle and opens it with practiced ease, making no mess at all. Kellin is pretty impressed, if he’s being real.

__

__

They sit and watch the newscaster talking about _“what a great year it’s been”_ until the clock reaches thirty seconds. 

Kellin turns to Vic on the couch. “It’s been a good year,” he says quietly, his mouth quirking up into a smile. 

“Yeah,” Vic responds. “But I think this next year is going to be even better.” 

“What makes you say that?” 

“Oh, y’know,” Vic says with a mock-shrug. “I just have a feeling.” 

Kellin smiles at him dumbly. He vaguely hears the TV reaching ten seconds until the New Years as Vic moves a little closer. 

“Is this okay?” 

“This is more than okay,” Kellin whispers. 

_“3…”_

_“2…”_

_“1…”_

_“HAPPY NEW YEAR!”_

Kellin registers the sound of cheerful celebration from the TV, but he’s focused on the distance between his face and Vic’s. 

“Happy New Year,” Kellin says softly. 

“Happy New Year,” Vic echoes. 

Kellin’s mouth quirks up into a smile. 

“Can I…?” Vic breathes. Kellin simply nods once, and he leans in, one hand coming up to rest gently on the back of Kellin’s neck. 

There are no fireworks or cupid’s angels when they finally come together, just Kellin’s heart beating steadily, the noise from the television and the chaste, tentative movement of lips. After a second Vic pulls back just slightly, seeking approval. 

Kellin ducks his head to hide his furious blush. “Wow,” he finally mumbles between them, smiling bashfully, “Been meaning to do that for a really long time.” 

Vic laughs, pressing their foreheads together. “Yeah, me too.” 

He tilts his head to meet Kellin halfway, champagne forgotten on the table, and the rest of the night is history. 

__

__

__+_ _

**Author's Note:**

> thanks so much for reading, and to [anatomyofacynic](https://archiveofourown.org/users/anatomyofacynic/pseuds/anatomyofacynic) for suggesting the idea!! kudos are amazing and comments are even better!


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